God Is Not Random

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD.” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. [Exodus 10.1-3]

Once again today, we see wording that, without careful consideration, would lead us to believe Pharaoh was a victim of random sovereignty by God.

First of all, the word used for "stubborn" could also be "heavy." But, be that as it may, the context of the statements made here suggest we should at least consider what happened to Pharaoh.

How could God make a mockery of Egypt? Think. To make a "mockery" of someone, there must necessarily be some point of reference upon which that mockery is made. Why would God mock the Egyptians? Simple. They refused to acknowledge God as God. Instead, they believed Pharaoh to be a god in and of himself and the lineage of Pharaoh's did not refute that belief but proudly promoted it. God did not just randomly select Egypt to mock! His plan was to establish His superiority over Egypt because of their rejection of anyone or anything being greater that Egypt.

Next, I want to point out that the LORD instructed Moses and Aaron to ask Pharaoh a question, "How long will you refuse to submit...?" It would have been entirely pointless to ask that question had Pharaoh not had some control over his submission to or rejection of God.

I understand that people need to "submissively" yield to God's sovereignty however, God's sovereignty does not make Him a random liar! Jesus did not say "God so loved the world, eh, well, except Pharaoh and Egypt..." Would not Jesus have needed to clarify God's love for the world if Pharaoh and Egypt were an historical exception? Again, think! And what about the plethora of other scriptures that clearly indicate God's intention to love and save all the world from its sin? How can we ignore scriptural phrases like "all nations, all the world, everyone," and the likes found throughout the Bible?

The thought of God makes some people mad. It is because God represents an entity greater than those people making them accountable to someone besides themselves. "God" (or, the thought of a Higher Authority) hardens their hearts specifically through the mechanism of their own stubborn pride.

God is not random.

Father, I am grateful that You are not random. I am grateful that You are indeed sovereign, but that Your sovereignty does not make You a liar. I am grateful that I can fully trust that You love me because You are clear that You love the world.